Dawn Images

Urdu has always been the language of the heart: Shabana Azmi

The Bollywood actor praised the Urdu language and hopes "it will stay forever"

22 Sep, 2017

At the launch of Mauj-e- Saraab in New Delhi, a book of Urdu ghazals by Minu Bakshi, Shabana Azmi expressed joy at seeing the younger generation engaging with the Urdu language.

The Bollywood actor said at the event, "Urdu is a language that we all speak on everyday basis. It should not be considered the language of a particular section."

And she feels "very happy when I see youngsters participating in festivals like Jashn-e-Rekhta (the three-day annual literary festival which celebrates the Urdu language). They might not be well-versed with the language but they want to learn and listen to Urdu. It gives me hope that this language will stay forever."

Mauj-e-Saraab (Waves of Illusion), is a manifestation of the various hues of the pageant of love and passion, as one critic puts it.

The book's author said, "Urdu has always been the language of the heart and its foundation rests on the tenets of love. And because the Ghazal as a literary form grew to maturity under the benign protection of sufis, the tendrils of love and passion ventured deep into its medium."

Comments

Tushar Majumdar Sep 22, 2017 10:47am

I agree. No language should not and must not be attached with any particular religion. It is the geography and culture which bonds people with language. In India Bengali is the second largest spoken language after Hindi. In Bangladesh, Bengali is the largest spoken language. People in these two countries who spoke this language is from various religions. Nobody attaches this to any particular community.

Recommend

jaam Sep 22, 2017 10:58am

Urdu is a language of kings and poets, of epic demeanor and forgotten courtesies, of subtle emotions and intense reactions, of life and its entire ambit, of sensitive souls speaking to creator within and outside, of ancestors and posterity, of echoes of past moments and anticipated times,… is the language of human for human.

Recommend

IJAZ THE INDIAN Sep 22, 2017 11:34am

It started when Muslim League tied Pakistani resolution of 1940 that spoke of separate nation "for Muslims" and making Urdu as the sole national language.

Recommend

Khwarizmi Sep 22, 2017 11:42am

Urdu will stay forever and evolve like all other languages because it is the national language of the 5th largest nation on earth - but a decline in Hindustan can already be noticed and it is just a matter of time before it becomes a fringe language in that country.

Recommend

gopal Sep 22, 2017 12:20pm

Muslims of the sub continent are funny people. No matter what you say, they will mix language with religion.

Recommend

Imtiaz ali khan Sep 22, 2017 12:24pm

I love Urdu speaking people so beautiful, I teach Urdu speaking family Sindhi they love to learn Sindhi. I learned Urdu as a Child by a very sweet older lady from Lucknow India, she thought me Urdu in bits and pieces before we got into more advance studies, she used to live with us in Interior Sindh after migrating from UP. She was my first Urdu teacher. I loved saying this to her Aap Ka Kya Haal Hai? Since that is my first Urdu sentence I learned. Urdu aik bohat khoobsurat zaban hai.

Recommend

Truth Sep 22, 2017 12:26pm

Why are Indian Muslims claiming Urdu when they rejected idea of Pakistan they have lost all rights to speak for Urdu and Islamic culture they are slaves of Hindus

Recommend

Onebookend Sep 22, 2017 01:08pm

India is the only country where a language, Urdu was born, taking Sanskrit grammar, just as Hindi does. Taking Persian and Arabic imagery and ornamentation Urdu did become the language of the heart. Gazal, shorter of Taghazzal, indeed takes us into the depths of feelings and our touch with the environ. No other language posses such embellishments. Urdu is here to stay on Earth.

Recommend

RAtionalbabu Sep 22, 2017 01:41pm

@Khwarizmi : It may be the national language of Pakistan but it was hoisted upon the population of which a very small percentage would call it their national language. A language cannot be forced upon people just as Hindi, despite the efforts of ruling classes from the north has not made much inroads in rest of the country. All regional languages should be respected and celebrated which has largely been the case in India.

Recommend

Nitin Sep 22, 2017 01:46pm

Lucknow and Delhi is birth place of Lucknow and it is beautiful mixture of Hindi and pearsian language

Recommend

J20 Sep 22, 2017 02:41pm

Why cant see settle in pakistan, she will get flavor of Urdu and Urdu speaking people

Recommend

Armaan Sep 22, 2017 03:08pm

Proud of my home state Uttar pradesh and its mother tongue.

Recommend

Nikhil Sep 22, 2017 03:21pm

@Khwarizmi There is no decline of Urdu. It's native language of Uttar Pradesh and spoken in most populated Indian state with 20.43 crores population. It's also compulsory language taught in school/colleges to Indian muslims in rest 29 states.

Recommend

Amer RAO Sep 22, 2017 03:42pm

Urdu is very sweet and easy language.

Recommend

srinivasan Sep 22, 2017 04:13pm

@Khwarizmi Not at all true. Urdu is very much alive in India in both literary and popular circles. Bollywood songs are still mostly in Urdu. In addition we have more diversity due to various regional dialects.

Recommend

Jamil Soomro, New York City Sep 22, 2017 05:38pm

Why Pervez Musharraf who is Urdu Speaking speaks bad Urdu, bad diction and bad accent? He should learn from Zia Mohyeddin who has an incredible command over the Urdu Language.

Recommend

Amol Sep 22, 2017 05:49pm

@IJAZ THE INDIAN Urdu has got to do nothing with religion. It's mother tongue of a Indian ethnicity - Uttar Pradesh. Just like Sindhi is mother tongue of people of Sindh.

Recommend

Imajes Sep 23, 2017 01:50am

Urdu is an international language, spoken in sub- continent,Middle East,Iran,UK, USA. More than 20 Urdu Newspapers published in Chicago alone, same is the figures in NY, Washington,and Houston. The Urdu poets and writers may write something contemporary to promote love, and brotherhood.

Recommend

Siddhartha Sep 23, 2017 08:52am

@Truth, Because Urdu's birth place is Northern India and I was told by my Pakistani friends that Indians from Lucknow (both Hindus and Muslims) speak better and more proper Urdu than anywhere in the subcontinent. I got interested in this language because of Bollywood movies and a classic movie directed by non-Urdu speaking Indian film director "Satyajit Ray."

Recommend

Amin saigol Sep 23, 2017 09:40am

Urdu India aur Pakistan kay musalmanon ki pehchan hai.

Recommend

qamar Sep 23, 2017 12:21pm

thanks!

Recommend

Onebookend Sep 23, 2017 12:36pm

@Siddhartha What is the title of the Movie you are referring to: Shatranj ke Khiladi?

Recommend

Onebookend Sep 23, 2017 12:50pm

The nuances, subtleties, intonations, modulations, depths of emotions, flight of imagination, reverence, sophistication in expressing even anger and dislike is not found in any language as well as it is in Urdu. Let us keep the religion out of such a sweet cultural endowment that only India produced. I do not mean to exclude Pakistan. It is their national language, I believe, and they will continue to nurture it. Urdu will continue to flourish as long as there is love and respect among people.

Recommend

Prateik Sep 23, 2017 12:55pm

Urdu has remained the language of the elite.

Recommend

Babu Sep 24, 2017 02:33pm

Good Shabana ji , you are an intellectual and always impress. Jawed sahab is lucky.

Recommend

Nighat Sep 25, 2017 12:56am

@jaam Wah wah!

Recommend

gopal Sep 25, 2017 12:45pm

@Amer RAO So is every language in this planet, whoever speaks them.